Although the Cook County News-Herald knows that the majority of sportsmen and women are law-abiding folks, there are a few that run afoul of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Conservation Officers. Periodically, the DNR provides a report of some of the miscreants the Conservation Officers (CO) have encountered. The News-Herald shares these stories as a reminder to all to be safe and to follow the rules!
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte) spent the week checking bear hunters, ATV riders and anglers. The bear harvest is down so far this season, but a few nice bears were taken. Hunters are still hitting it hard in the woods, trying their luck.
CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) worked with other officers checking bear hunters. One hunter was found hunting in the wrong zone, another was found with a bait station that included a tin can. Five gallon buckets were also found stashed by one bait station. One person was talked to about leaving baiting items in the BWCA. Several baits were found to be unregistered and enforcement action will be taken. Another person was given a lesson on making sure he tells law enforcement about the loaded pistol on him in the future.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) worked a busy bear hunting opening week. Hunters have reported good strikes to the baits, but few bears being taken. Bear hunters also report being happy with the new online bait registration system. Anglers and boaters were also checked on inland lakes and the officer took a report of a road constructed through a wetland.
Water Resource Enforcement Officer Shane Siltala received a call of a strange-looking snake in a local business. One witness stated the snake looked like an escaped cobra. He responded to the call and determined that the snake was an eastern hognose. The snake is a native to Minnesota, predominantly in the eastern third of the state, and when provoked it will flatten its head and neck area, resembling the look of a cobra. Siltala gave the snake a ride to a remote area and released it back into the wild.
CO Bret Grundmeier (Hinckley) continued to be busy with bear hunting activity. Several hunters were checked who had success harvesting bears and one hunter reported taking a bear that tipped the scales at over 600 pounds. Other hunters commented that their baits were not getting hit due to acorns becoming ripe and starting to fall.
One bear hunting group that was checked reported seeing only a porcupine. The porcupine was harvested, butchered and made into a stew that was one of the best wild game dishes that Grundmeier had ever tasted.
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